Lessons from Kobane

By Ioannis-Sotirios Ioannou

The undoubtedly heroic opposition of the Kurds of Syria in Kobane who furiously have been fighting the Jihadists of the Islamic State is frequently compared to the stories of the women-amazons. It is the epitome of a timeless struggle for survival, human rights, and self-determination, albeit this struggle is spread from the Iran-Iraq borders to the east in Diyarbakir, Turkey. The outcome of a successful battle in Kobane has its own significance that extends beyond military benefits. The importance of the Kurdish resistance is political and it will have consequences as it will become an inseparable part of the civil war in Syria. The Kurdish resistance in Iraq and Syria against the stated threat of the Islamic State changed dramatically the perceptions of the American foreign policy in the region. Looking back at 1975 will help us understand why this is the case.